Been out of the game too long looking for some advice

[KiltedNerd]

I grew up back in the old car audio war days. The subs we built back then were (from what I have been reading) far less technical than they are today.

I am looking for a new home theater sub. I currently am running a DCM KX12/SUB2 that I love but I have had it for 15 years now. I am looking for a little more volume and hoping for a lot more air movement.

I am considering buying a retail sub due to time and tool limitations nowadays but like the thought of having something original.

I am open to 1 sub that will do it all, or one in each corner. Or I guess, I have an open mind to any ideas.

Budget - I would love to stay in the under $900 range. Preferably 5 or 6 bit I know you gotta pay to play sometimes.


I have been looking at the HouseWrecker from DECware. Does anybody have any comments on that box or any other box that isnt uber difficult to build.

Or if anyone here is building boxes, I would not be against purchasing a finished or "unfinished" box from them.


Well enough for a first post, any info you can give would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Midcow2]

SVS Sub New PB12-Plus on pre-order sale!

KiltedNerd,

Welcome to the Audioholics forums.

SVS has a sub on a pre-order sale New PB12-Plus, ships in mid November, that is just slightly above your price range. You save $200 over the normal price and the price is $999 now with $99 shipping.

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-newpb12plus.cfm


I think it is a great sub; I put one on order

Good Luck!

MidCow2

 

[jamie2112]

Second the SVS suggestion...

 

[Chopin_Guy]

If you are not opposed to a tube subwoofer you might consider the PC-12 Plus that is coming out as well....I think this should be on pre-order as will right now and it will save you $100 dollars at a pre-order price of $899. Also, I believe that the shipping is about half of the PB12 as the PC12 weighs over half less and can go UPS...

 

[annunaki]

I grew up back in the old car audio war days. The subs we built back then were (from what I have been reading) far less technical than they are today.

I am looking for a new home theater sub. I currently am running a DCM KX12/SUB2 that I love but I have had it for 15 years now. I am looking for a little more volume and hoping for a lot more air movement.

I am considering buying a retail sub due to time and tool limitations nowadays but like the thought of having something original.

I am open to 1 sub that will do it all, or one in each corner. Or I guess, I have an open mind to any ideas.

Budget - I would love to stay in the under $900 range. Preferably 5 or 6 bit I know you gotta pay to play sometimes.


I have been looking at the HouseWrecker from DECware. Does anybody have any comments on that box or any other box that isnt uber difficult to build.

Or if anyone here is building boxes, I would not be against purchasing a finished or "unfinished" box from them.


Well enough for a first post, any info you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Check out the DIY section on the forums for some great simple builds for subs. Avaserfi has some plans for a simple yet very effective build using the Infinity Kappa Perfect VQ 12"subs. You could probably do two of them for the budget you are in with an amplifier and all the materials needed. You could run one per channel on the Behringer EP2500 and have 1000 watts rms per sub.

You would have serious output capability with superb fidelity that you will not get from comercially available woofers.

 

[AVRat]

You may also want to consider an AV123 MFW-15 or Epik Caliber to keep within budget. How large is your HT space? The Housewrecker shows a response only down to 25 Hz. For HT you really want at least get down to 20 Hz .

 

[KiltedNerd]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys. I am really leaning toward building or finding someone to build the box and I can finish it. If I can find a willing soul.

I have looked at a lot of the DIY boxes here and most are very impressive and intimidating.

Annunuki, I will say that JL build is very impressive. I am a big fan of the ported boxes, at least when it comes to home theater. The Kappa build looks great but seems like it would be a tighter, not as boomy as a ported build....

 

[annunaki]

Properly done vented enclosures will sound just as "tight" as a sealed enclosure when executed correctly. The benefit is that they play deeper (at a higher output level without requiring eq) and have more output. The problem is that they get a fair bit larger and are more complicated to build.

Their are a couple different Kappa builds. Most of them are ported.

Which JL build are you referring to of mine?

Check out "The beast and it's lair". That is my sealed W7 build. This has since ended up in my home.

 

[KiltedNerd]

Properly done vented enclosures will sound just as "tight" as a sealed enclosure when executed correctly. The benefit is that they play deeper (at a higher output level without requiring eq) and have more output. The problem is that they get a fair bit larger and are more complicated to build.

Their are a couple different Kappa builds. Most of them are ported.

Which JL build are you referring to of mine?

Check out "The beast and it's lair". That is my sealed W7 build. This has since ended up in my home.

The build you did for Ibolts20. I love the look of that box. I am sure they perform well as is, but is there an upgrade path for driver / amp that would give it even better performance?

My old DCM used to shake the windows, it still does to a degree, but I would like something the neighbors will hate me for...

 

[jamie2112]

The build you did for Ibolts20. I love the look of that box. I am sure they perform well as is, but is there an upgrade path for driver / amp that would give it even better performance?

My old DCM used to shake the windows, it still does to a degree, but I would like something the neighbors will hate me for...

I like your style Nerd....

 

[Sheep]

The build you did for Ibolts20. I love the look of that box. I am sure they perform well as is, but is there an upgrade path for driver / amp that would give it even better performance?

My old DCM used to shake the windows, it still does to a degree, but I would like something the neighbors will hate me for...

Avaserfi has built the Kappa Perfect subwoofer mentioned earlier. I don't know if you read the right thread, but his subwoofer is ported. They have simple plans that have all the measurements for each piece on the thread. To give you an Idea of performance, Avaserfi's Kappa hit over 110dB at 20hz, and broke a window. You could build 2 for your budget. PM Avaserfi or WmAx for more help.

If you don't want to built the box, the SVS units mentioned are solid performers also.

This is the thread you should have looked at.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45528

SheepStar

 

[annunaki]

The build you did for Ibolts20. I love the look of that box. I am sure they perform well as is, but is there an upgrade path for driver / amp that would give it even better performance?

My old DCM used to shake the windows, it still does to a degree, but I would like something the neighbors will hate me for...

The driver could be upgraded but I recommend a new enclosure specificly designed for each sub. That system turned out awesome and is probably a few steps above what you currently have. It was hitting around 106db-104db in ground plane measurments at 20hz. The 13W1v2 is a great sub for the money and has many trickle down benefits from the W6v2 & W7 drivers (DMA motor design). It is just not executed to the same degree for $ sake. I would recommend an outboard amplifier for power (Behringer A500 in mono with an 8 ohm woofer) but we used a plate amp to keep cost down.

Believe it or not, a 12W7 would work very well in that enclosure, but the vent would need to be a bit larger. It would probably have a bit of port noise at lower frequencies but would still sound quite good.

 

[KiltedNerd]

OK,

looks like I might give Avaserfi's ported box. Anybody know the best source for the drivers? I was looking at ebay and about $150 seems the going rate.

I dont think my little 18V Ryobi saw is gonna cut the mustard on this one. I am going to try to find someone that can cut the wood for me. Anyone know what a reasonable charge for that would be?

Also, I see a variety of glues us .ed, how does gorilla glue work? I know it expands a little if not clamped.

 

[annunaki]

OK,

looks like I might give Avaserfi's ported box. Anybody know the best source for the drivers? I was looking at ebay and about $150 seems the going rate.

I dont think my little 18V Ryobi saw is gonna cut the mustard on this one. I am going to try to find someone that can cut the wood for me. Anyone know what a reasonable charge for that would be?

Also, I see a variety of glues us .ed, how does gorilla glue work? I know it expands a little if not clamped.

For cutting the wood, I know that Lowes does it. However, you need to make sure they cut accurately. I have had some issues with them before. Perhaps check with a local cabinet shop. Offer them $10.00 to cut it or something. The precision they are used to would be well worth it on your end, not to mention you may build a relationship with them for future DIY projects.

As for adhesive, if no clamps are available, use screws for keeping things tight. Be sure to pre-drill and countersink each screw though. Use Titeboond Original wood glue or Elmer's wood glue. Both completely bond the wood together. If the cuts are slightly inaccurate or you are worried about getting a good seal, Liquid Nails is a great option. Be sure to work quickly with the liquid nails as it sets up quite fast.

I have tested or have seen stress tests with all three and none could be broken at the joint.

 

[phlakvest]

OK,
I dont think my little 18V Ryobi saw is gonna cut the mustard on this one. I am going to try to find someone that can cut the wood for me. Anyone know what a reasonable charge for that would be?

I dunno... Those 18V battery circular saw's can be pretty be beastly. Its just kindof hard to cut a perfectly straight line. Clamping a metal straight edge as a guide is your best bet.

Also, I see a variety of glues us .ed, how does gorilla glue work? I know it expands a little if not clamped.

Gorilla glue expands period. Whether you have it clamped or not. I think its somewhere around 3 times the origional size.

What part of Tennessee do you live in? I'm in the Knoxville area and have access to woodworking tools.

 

[KiltedNerd]

I dunno... Those 18V battery circular saw's can be pretty be beastly. Its just kindof hard to cut a perfectly straight line. Clamping a metal straight edge as a guide is your best bet.



Gorilla glue expands period. Whether you have it clamped or not. I think its somewhere around 3 times the origional size.

What part of Tennessee do you live in? I'm in the Knoxville area and have access to woodworking tools.

West Knoxville